Saints owner Tom Benson and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell had a civil and passionate meeting in Tuesday in New York, according to a source.

Benson aired all of his concerns about the Saints bounty drama. Benson wanted to discuss the Saints' embattled offseason and the manner in which his team has been treated for its role in the alleged bounty program.

You wouldn't expect Goodell to get into a heated argument with Benson. The commish must stand firm with his Saints discipline while also dealing with Benson who is ostensibly his boss.

You have to wonder if the two spoke about Jonathan Vilma. The federal judge in the Vilma lawsuit against Goodell and the NFL is still pending a decision by Judge Ginger Berringer. The judge has urged the parties to settle. However, there are reports that Vilma will not do so as he wants to be vindicated. It would seem that any settlement decision would involve the Saints as a team and not just Vilma.

It's uncertain what came out of the meeting. Would be nice to be a bug on the wall, wouldn’t it?

Tuesday was even hotter than usual at the Saints' practice. That resulted in linebacker Curtis Lofton, running back Pierre Thomas, tackle Jermon Bushrod and wide receiver Courtney Roby having to leave practice after experiencing problems with the heat,.

Saints DE Junior Galette is sporting a lot more facial hair these days. That's led to one of the more innovative chants; "fear the beard."...Honey Badger factoid: CBS' Tony Barnhart notes that Tyrann Mathieu has been fighting demons. Write Barnhart: "Mathieu's biological father is in prison and his mother could not raise him. He was taken-in by a grandfather who died in 1997, Then, his aunt and uncle adopted him. The scars were always there."...

After signing with the Jaguars last year as an undrafted free agent out of LSU, Richard Murphy spent the 2011 season on injured reserve. Now that he's back in pads, he'll need some new rims and tires for his truck. Murphy parked his pickup outside his apartment about 8 a.m. to find it gone. There was broken glass where the truck had been parked. The truck was later discovered sitting on concrete blocks. Unfortunately for Murphy, the rums and tires, valued at $15,000 weren't the only things missing. Also stolen were his 2008 LSU National Championship ring, 2006 Sugar Bowl ring and 2008 SEC championship ring. However, a 12-gauge shotgun was not stolen from a secure compartment within the truck...Thought: "If each day is a gift, I would like to know where to return Mondays."...

Ex-Saints DT Shaun Rogers is being treated for a blood clot in his calf and the Giants have declared it a season-ending injury...Brandon LaFell (LSU) has a starting WR job "locked up" with the Panthers...Broncos QB Peyton Manning acknowledges that he doesn't have the arm strength he used to, but Manning said that's because of age, not injury...Stevan Ridley (LSU) looks to be improving as a receiver he won't be the Patriots featured back...

Did LSU know Tyrann Mathieu was a possible dismissal? The Tigers don't have anything they need to change now that Mathieu isn't on the team. He wasn't on the cover of the media guide, he wasn't on a poster or tickets, and he didn't have a Heisman campaign. But there was a lot of interest in Mathnieu. LSU sports information director Michael Bonnette said the Friday Mathieu was dismissed was the highest traffic day in more than four years on the school's official athletic website, LSUSports.net. Yes, more than the day of the national title game in January...

If you're an Alabama fan, it's going to cost you plenty to see the Alabama-LSU game on Nov. 3 at Tiger Stadium. The most expensive ticket of the season is, not surprisingly, the rematch of last year's BCS title game between the Crimson Tide and the Tigers. TiqIQ currently lists the average price for a ticket to the game is $632.71. Thanks to six straight national championships, the SEC leads all conference in most expensive ticket price to its games. The average ticket to an SEC game costs $139.71.

Nebraska is the most expensive ticket in the land with the average ticket to its games listed on the market for $262.

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Ed Staton is a former sports writer for the Times Picayune and New Orleans States Item. He also served as the New Orleans Saints Information Director. He has won 43 media awards in writing, design and photography.

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